La Dôle is the high point of the Swiss Jura's southern end, a rounded summit of about 1,677 metres above Lake Geneva, topped with a radar dome and a communications mast that you can see from half of western Switzerland. From the ridge, the view is one of the great panoramas of the country: the whole of Lake Geneva, the city at its tip, the Savoy Alps and the long white line of the Mont Blanc massif, with the Bernese Alps on the horizon in clear weather. On a good day you can see for well over a hundred kilometres.
The mountain is mostly reached by walking, from the Col de la Givrine or from the small resort of Saint-Cergue, a few kilometres away, so a motorcycle is usually left at the roadside while you climb a trail through pasture and forest. The summit is not far above, and the walk takes less than a couple of hours for most people. Along the way, you cross high meadows grazed by cattle, with limestone outcrops, gentians and in places the sound of cowbells. The ridge here marks the border with France, with the Jura running southwest into the French Haut-Jura.
The road in is a fine one. From the lakeside town of Nyon, a twisting mountain road climbs through woodland and farmland to Saint-Cergue, with decent surface, medium-radius bends and gradual gradients, and views opening up as you rise. The air is cooler and fresher, and in autumn, the forests turn orange and gold. Weather changes rapidly: you may be riding in clear sun at the lake and find thick fog at the ridge, so choose your day carefully. Winter brings snow, and some of the minor roads are closed.
For services, Saint-Cergue has cafes, a bakery and a few small hotels, and mountain restaurants in the area serve fondue, saucisson and tarte aux myrtilles. Fuel is available at larger towns, and on the French side, Les Rousses has stations and shops. Divonne-les-Bains, a spa town, is the nearest bigger place on the lower slopes. Bring a windproof layer and a bit of patience for hairpins behind slow cars, and make time to sit on the grass and watch the lake shimmer below you.